[3:25] first um meeting this year

[3:29] >> of the human rights to the microphone.

[3:32] Let's

[3:32] >> get a microphone.

[3:33] >> Dr. I didn't do you any favors there.

[3:36] >> Thank you.

[3:36] guys.

[3:41] » Um good evening everyone. Um this is our

[3:44] first human rights and inclusion

[3:45] committee meeting of the um 2026

[3:50] um fall season. We wishing everyone all

[3:53] the best as we begin our our affairs of

[3:56] the day and for the remainder of the the

[3:59] year. Want to thank everyone who's

[4:01] joining us on uh the cable access TV and

[4:04] all of my wonderful colleagues sitting

[4:07] here at the table. Um my name is Dr.

[4:10] Charles Desmond. People call me Dr.

[4:12] trolley. Um, that works very well for

[4:15] me. And maybe, um, before I go any

[4:17] further, we'll just have people that are

[4:20] sitting at the table introduce

[4:22] themselves and we'll then get into our announcements and what have you.

[4:27] >> Sure. Johan Hunter,

[4:29] >> Paulac,

[4:30] Luis Velasquez,

[4:32] >> Paula Garcia, and Karen Elliot Gradorf

[4:39] leazison.

[4:43] Hi, I'm Christy Fair on the

[4:46] accessibility commission.

[4:50] » I'm Amy Velasquez. I'm also on the

[4:52] Dammer accessibility commissioner.

[4:56] >> I'm Heather Carnival and I'm a teacher

[4:58] at the high school and

[5:02] um a liazison between the high school

[5:03] and HR.

[5:06] >> Wonderful. Thank you everyone. I'm

[5:09] really looking forward to this wonderful

[5:11] year that we're going to be having and

[5:13] the um issues that we're going to be

[5:15] attending to. I think we have a lot to

[5:17] share. I'm very happy that u we have

[5:20] citizen participation and we will um

[5:23] we'll have a lot to accomplish over the

[5:26] course of the the year. I'd like to now

[5:28] turn to Luis who will um read the Native

[5:31] Land acknowledgement.

[5:33] >> Thank you, Dr. Charlie. Uh in keeping

[5:36] with our values of equity and inclusion

[5:38] and to support those who experience

[5:40] marginalization, this evening's meeting

[5:42] will begin with a Native American land

[5:44] acknowledgement.

[5:46] We acknowledge that this meeting is

[5:48] taking place on the ancestral ancestral

[5:51] lands homelands of the Nagmeck and Agam

[5:55] people to honor the Nakmeck and Augan

[5:59] communities along with any other

[6:01] indigenous peoples who inhabited these

[6:02] lands we now known as dampers

[6:06] and who might be lost to history. Let us

[6:09] take a moment to recognize the past,

[6:10] present and future of indigenous peoples

[6:13] and reflect on our roles within their

[6:15] settler settler colonialism. We

[6:17] acknowledge these ancestral grounds we

[6:20] have collectively gathered upon and

[6:22] support the resilience and strength the

[6:24] indigenous peoples have shown worldwide.

[6:28] >> Thank you very much. Thank you. Um at

[6:30] this time I'd like to turn to um

[6:33] approval of the minutes of our June 23

[6:36] meeting. Um, is there a motion to

[6:39] approve these minutes or are there any

[6:40] comments, corrections, or other matters

[6:42] that we want to raise relative to the

[6:44] minutes?

[6:45] >> Move as uh printed, presented.

[6:50] >> I second that.

[6:51] >> All in favor, please say

[6:53] >> I.

[6:55] >> Wonderful. Thank you very much. Um so

[6:58] I'm turning to an item that um is an

[7:01] outgrowth of work that we did last year

[7:03] in discussions that I'm sorry um

[7:05] Lieutenant Sullivan um we did

[7:07] acknowledge the liaison and forgive me

[7:10] for not recognizing you. I saw you come

[7:12] in and I said let's recognize them.

[7:15] >> I app I apologize for for being late

[7:19] and I knock my water. [laughter]

[7:22] So um just um a few informal comments

[7:26] and then I'll turn to what I've written

[7:28] because I sometimes if I don't read what

[7:30] I write then it gets a little bit goes

[7:32] off in different directions. So um last

[7:35] year we had um a little bit of um

[7:39] occasions and situations where we had

[7:41] public comments that extended in into

[7:44] our full agenda for our meeting. and it

[7:48] really represented a a situation in

[7:51] which all very very important issues

[7:54] really um may not have gotten the full

[7:57] attention that we needed to give to the

[7:59] discussions that we had. So we really

[8:01] have been reflecting on whether or not

[8:04] we need to have a more a different type

[8:06] of a structure through which we can deal

[8:08] with

[8:10] brief comments that may be made by

[8:12] citizens and lengthy more deliberative

[8:14] issues that might require greater uh

[8:17] attention from uh this body. So, we're

[8:20] engaged in discussions about that. And I

[8:22] want to just give the public just the

[8:24] framework of what we're thinking about

[8:27] and how we're looking at that with the understanding that we are we

[8:32] will continue to work on this. We'll

[8:33] discuss with legal counsel and anyone

[8:36] else that needs to be uh involved

[8:38] relevant to how we might

[8:42] govern the process through which uh

[8:45] public comments are going to be

[8:46] received. So um so what I have the human

[8:49] rights and inclusion committee believes

[8:50] that an engaged community is essential

[8:53] to the work of a community focused

[8:55] committee. Hearing directly from

[8:57] residents about their experience,

[8:59] concerns, ideas, and perspectives

[9:01] broadens our understandings and helps

[9:03] inform the work we undertake on behalf

[9:05] of the community. The citizen comment

[9:08] period is an important part of our

[9:10] meetings because it provides residents

[9:12] with an opportunity to bring issues and

[9:13] concerns directly to the committee. We

[9:16] want residents to know that their

[9:18] participation is welcomed, encouraged,

[9:20] and valued. At the same time, the

[9:23] committee has a responsibility, a

[9:24] responsibility to conduct its meetings

[9:27] in an organized and productive manner.

[9:29] Our meeting agendas are published,

[9:31] posted in advance, and identify the

[9:33] matters the committee has scheduled for

[9:35] consideration. When an unscheduled

[9:37] citizen comment develops into an

[9:39] extended discussion, it can limit the

[9:42] committee's ability to address the

[9:44] business that has been placed on the

[9:46] published agenda. The purpose of these

[9:49] proposed guidelines that we're be

[9:51] talking about will be trying to address

[9:54] that particular concern. So, uh, I'm

[9:57] proposing, uh, that we engage in a clear

[10:00] and consistent framework for citizen

[10:02] comments and community engagement at our

[10:04] human rights and inclusion committee

[10:05] meetings. The purpose is not to limit

[10:08] public participation, but to promote

[10:10] equitable participation by ensuring that

[10:12] every resident has a meaningful

[10:14] opportunity to be heard and no single

[10:17] discussion prevents others from

[10:19] participating

[10:20] uh, on the committees from addressing

[10:23] the published agenda. Under this

[10:25] approach, residents could raise brief

[10:27] comments, concerns, ideas, and

[10:28] experiences during the citizen comment

[10:31] period. Matters requiring additional

[10:33] information, preparation, discussion, a

[10:37] possible committee action could then be

[10:39] scheduled for a future agenda, allowing

[10:41] the committee to provide a more

[10:42] thoughtful and effective response. This

[10:44] framework would help ensure that

[10:46] community concerns receive appropriate

[10:48] attention while enabling enabling the

[10:50] committee to conduct its business in an

[10:52] orderly focused and transparent manner.

[10:55] So the purpose will be to either come up

[10:57] with some language that frames that. As

[10:59] I said, we will discuss with all

[11:00] appropriate parties on what that might

[11:02] look like and we will get back to the

[11:03] public and the committee as a whole as

[11:05] that develops. So I think that should be

[11:09] okay.

[11:11] Um

[11:12] >> question.

[11:13] >> Yes. So, is there a subcommittee that's

[11:15] working on this?

[11:16] >> No.

[11:17] >> Oh, okay. So,

[11:19] >> um

[11:20] >> Dr. Charles and I are working

[11:21] >> we're we are working on a framework that

[11:25] we'll bring to the full committee for

[11:26] the full committee to review and to come

[11:28] back with their comments. We'll discuss

[11:30] with legal counsel if they have any

[11:33] concerns and the public itself can

[11:34] participate and engage if necessary and

[11:37] appropriate.

[11:39] Did

[11:39] >> I get a copy of that?

[11:41] >> Yes.

[11:47] So, at this time, we actually turn to

[11:48] the public comments discussion. Are

[11:50] there any members of the public who want

[11:52] to uh have anything that they'd like to

[11:54] bring before uh the committee?

[12:00] Um, not hearing any, then I'd like to

[12:02] move to uh the liaison updates. If there

[12:05] are any comments, updates, information

[12:08] that you want to share with the board

[12:09] and the community at large, this is the

[12:11] appropriate time to do that.

[12:14] >> Hello. Um, so one of the speaking for

[12:18] the Danvers Accessibility Commission,

[12:20] one of the big thing that's that is

[12:22] going on with us right now is we're

[12:24] planning a human library event that um

[12:27] was supported by a grant from you. So uh

[12:31] we are very excited about it. The event

[12:32] is on October 17th, Saturday, October

[12:35] 17th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at

[12:38] the senior center. And you might be

[12:40] wondering, what is a human library

[12:42] event? It is an opportunity for people

[12:44] with various backgrounds to become human

[12:47] books that can be checked out and read in quotes um by other people so

[12:52] that they can better understand the

[12:55] experience of an individual. And so we

[12:58] have a number of books who have

[12:59] volunteered to share their varying

[13:01] experiences um either with with

[13:03] disabilities with their past life

[13:06] experiences

[13:08] um with part of their identity that may

[13:10] be misunderstood by people um in the

[13:13] larger broader community. Um, and then

[13:16] we invite you and Danver's residents to

[13:20] come during that day and check out a

[13:21] book and have a conversation, have an

[13:24] opportunity to unjudge the people in

[13:26] their community, um, to to better

[13:29] understand each other. I do have flyers.

[13:32] Um, so I'm going to pass them down. Um,

[13:34] I think I have enough for everybody. Um,

[13:36] but we also have it's a there's a

[13:37] Facebook event um, that's been created

[13:39] so people can say that they're

[13:40] interested if they want to. Um and we do

[13:44] probably still have room for if anybody

[13:46] wants to be a book. Um there is a

[13:49] training that partic that volunteers

[13:51] have to go through. Um and we also have

[13:53] volunteer librarians even though and

[13:55] some of us are actual librarians too. Um

[13:58] who will be kind of coordinating the

[14:00] event during the day. Um so we hope that

[14:04] you have um the opportunity to join us

[14:06] um and participate and be part of that

[14:09] broader conversation.

[14:12] We're gonna tag team the updates today

[14:14] because Amy has the other stuff.

[14:19] Hi. Yeah. Um I wanted to share an

[14:21] update. Um I guess on behalf of the

[14:24] accessibility commission um when looking

[14:27] at and preparing like kind of seeing the

[14:30] agenda for this evening I noticed on the

[14:32] agenda that you're going to be talking

[14:33] about suicide prevention month and I

[14:35] wanted to bring some information um from

[14:39] a disability lens from an accessibility

[14:41] lens to kind of um frame that discussion

[14:45] when you get to that part of that

[14:46] meeting. Um but just some some

[14:49] statistics um about we're talking about

[14:52] suicide prevention, suicide prevention

[14:54] month um that up to 40% of people with

[14:59] intellectual and developmental

[15:00] disabilities have co-occurring mental

[15:02] health conditions.

[15:05] >> Additionally, people with disabilities

[15:07] report three times more suicidal

[15:09] ideiation compared to those without

[15:11] disabilities. and adults with

[15:14] disabilities are three and a half times

[15:16] more likely to experience frequent

[15:19] mental distress.

[15:21] um which really just considering those

[15:23] things that really highlights the

[15:26] importance um for training and awareness

[15:29] and a community response um in being

[15:33] able to provide supports for everyone

[15:36] experiencing mental health crisis, but

[15:39] also in particular from our lens and our

[15:42] place in the world just how

[15:43] disproportionately

[15:45] it impacts people um with disabilities.

[15:49] Just wanted to share that information.

[15:58] » You have [laughter] nothing. You have

[15:59] nothing. Okay. Thank you.

[16:04] » We also just got back to school. So, um

[16:08] actually our first full week of Labor

[16:11] Day,

[16:12] >> so things are still like

[16:15] >> unfolding.

[16:16] >> Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[16:20] Thank you.

[16:23] » Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Um,

[16:26] uh, our last meeting I kind of left you

[16:28] all with a few incidents that have been

[16:30] happening throughout town at our

[16:32] playgrounds. Um, and, uh, I'm happy to

[16:36] report that the the number and type of

[16:39] those events have I can't believe I'm

[16:41] saying this because I'm going to jinx

[16:42] myself. But it it it has stopped um at

[16:46] least by that um that actor that was

[16:49] doing it across town. Uh and when they

[16:51] were destroying our property, it was

[16:53] across like entire picnic tables. Very

[16:55] visible. Um a lot of damage and done day

[16:58] after day. Um since then there have been

[17:02] uh I believe two other um incidents that

[17:06] were not uh as widespread. Uh, one was

[17:08] in the library um where I believe was I

[17:12] believe it was the nword that was

[17:13] written on a wall. Um, it's really

[17:16] difficult to determine how long ago this

[17:18] was put there. It was it was by a like

[17:20] an air conditioning vent next to a

[17:23] public computer space. Um, and it was

[17:26] really small, so it could have gone

[17:28] unnoticed for an extended period of

[17:30] time. Uh, in another incident, I believe

[17:32] it was a swast sticker that was um

[17:36] at one of the public parks. Um, we're

[17:39] unsure as to what was it was like the um

[17:41] it was like a a black Sharpie was used

[17:42] in the picnic tables. Um, this was

[17:45] either chalk or if you were to take like

[17:48] if you take a rock and like scratch onto

[17:50] concrete, um, that was kind of what was

[17:52] used. But if both of those were easily

[17:54] removable. Um they since those have

[17:58] happened since our last meeting, we've

[18:00] had no other incidents uh to report of

[18:02] that type of nature. Um and I was also

[18:05] going to ask I know we're just getting back to school, but

[18:09] if the uh if we can get permission from

[18:11] the board to get a future date uh to

[18:14] invite um Prism, we have a donation to

[18:17] present to them from funds raised at the

[18:19] Pride event.

[18:25] Thank you everyone. Appreciate your

[18:26] comments. Can I ask a question? Can I

[18:29] ask a question? I have a question.

[18:31] >> Yes.

[18:32] >> Sorry. I just had a question about the

[18:33] human library. You said you're still

[18:35] taking um people are are you taking

[18:38] young adults as well or does it have to

[18:40] be an adult? I think the

[18:45] so it's been I I've been very careful

[18:47] about inviting people because I am

[18:50] cognizant of the fact that we're

[18:51] inviting people to share very vulnerable

[18:54] parts of their selves. Um I think that

[18:59] I would prefer if it was a teen, it was

[19:01] an older teen just because of that

[19:03] potential. I don't want to assume that

[19:06] people coming are going to um cause

[19:09] harm, but there is that possibility and

[19:12] that is part of the the training. That's

[19:14] part of why books need to go through

[19:15] training. So, you're going to be talking

[19:16] about your identity um with strangers.

[19:19] >> Um but if it's depends, you know, we

[19:23] could talk about it. Um I think that I I

[19:26] would never want to discourage teens

[19:28] from sharing their experiences and this

[19:30] is one of those amazing opportunities to

[19:32] do that. Um, so it's not that we have a

[19:34] you have to be 18 to do this. Um, I

[19:36] think it would just need to be a

[19:38] conversation about what the experience

[19:41] could be and how comfortable the young

[19:44] adult and their family is about that

[19:47] experience.

[19:49] >> Okay. Thank you.

[19:51] >> Any other questions or comments or

[19:53] observations?

[19:55] Okay. Um, I'd like to now uh turn our

[19:58] attention to uh the education committee

[19:59] update and I will be um be led by our

[20:03] co-chair of the HRIC. I want to say that

[20:06] uh Paul has been in the past the chair

[20:09] of this committee. I don't think that

[20:10] there's too many people better able and

[20:13] aware and capable of helping to move the

[20:16] work of this uh committee forward and on

[20:18] behalf of the citizens of Danvers and uh

[20:21] he's also been actively very much

[20:24] engaged in work with the public schools.

[20:27] uh I've been on a co-chair with him um

[20:30] liaison for the public schools at

[20:32] various times and so I'd like to turn it

[20:35] over to him now who give you some

[20:37] updates on um a recent meeting that took

[20:39] place with the uh principal of the high

[20:41] school.

[20:42] >> Yeah. Yes. Thank you Dr. Charlie. We had

[20:44] a very positive meeting um with uh

[20:48] principal Strauss and it was a meeting

[20:50] that we asked for and he asked for

[20:53] because we wanted to get uh

[20:54] [clears throat] involved get the school

[20:56] system involved with some of our events

[20:59] this coming year. Um they do

[21:04] I'm going to rely on Dr. Charlie too to

[21:06] correct to fill in or correct me but uh

[21:09] [clears throat] they do work in in the

[21:10] immigration area in uh uh what's the

[21:16] word I want to a food the

[21:19] >> food food insecurity

[21:20] >> food insecurity right um and a couple of

[21:23] other things that we we would like to

[21:25] get them to come here and present the

[21:27] program and that's the kind of thing we

[21:30] want to do with the schools we also Dr.

[21:32] Charlie and I are going to meet with the

[21:35] uh school principal of the high school

[21:37] and the middle school because they have

[21:38] a new staff with the middle school

[21:40] pretty much and through [clears throat]

[21:42] Dr. Bower uh he's asked us to come in

[21:45] and we're more than willing to come in

[21:47] and sit with the middle school folks and

[21:50] uh get a feel for where they think they

[21:52] are and how things are going because

[21:54] again I think there might have been two

[21:57] or three changes at the at the middle

[21:59] school. Um, so it's important that we we

[22:01] relate to them and also uh we want to

[22:04] continue to work and that's one of the

[22:06] reasons why we have Heather there now

[22:08] too because we need as much help as we can get um and also in our program

[22:14] development. I think that's key. Uh

[22:16] that'll help us um get the town more

[22:19] involved. Uh and al and the um we have

[22:23] to get the students back in here. The uh

[22:25] what's there was a

[22:26] >> um United

[22:28] >> United and they're another one of our

[22:30] liaison. So we got a lot of liaison now

[22:33] and this and this is good. No, because

[22:35] it gets us to the point where now we're

[22:37] talking to the groups that are really

[22:39] handling some of the issues, problems

[22:42] and uh positive things that happen in

[22:44] the town. So, it was a produ it was a

[22:46] productive meeting. Uh, we didn't really go in with any specific agenda, I

[22:52] think, other than Dr. Charlie and I

[22:54] wanted to see if we could um

[22:58] uh join with the schools and have them

[23:00] come in and make one or two preserv

[23:02] presentations over the uh this year.

[23:07] Okay. Any qu that's it.

[23:10] >> Yeah. other other than the fact that um

[23:13] there was a open uh agreement that um

[23:17] coming to one of our meetings at some

[23:18] time and making a presentation on some

[23:21] of the issues that are happening at the

[23:22] school. It's a very complex year in the

[23:25] sense that there's a a broad a range of

[23:28] students that are at the high school

[23:29] this year and in the middle school. And

[23:31] I think we'd all benefit from hearing um

[23:33] from the perspective of an academic

[23:35] leader um what has to happen in order to

[23:38] make that system run well and benefit

[23:40] all students. So um we'll keep you

[23:43] posted on that and if anyone has any

[23:45] observations or uh suggestions to make

[23:48] that you think that we should be aware

[23:49] of in our liaison meetings just let us

[23:52] know and we'll be happy to carry that

[23:53] with us and report back to you in the

[23:56] future.

[23:57] Um, yes.

[24:03] » Um, I did remember there was one thing

[24:05] um as you're all speaking um that uh I

[24:09] did want to just mention to anybody who

[24:12] would be interested in joining the at

[24:14] the high school um on October 6th at um

[24:18] just looking at 4 pm we're going to be

[24:20] having our second unified basketball

[24:23] game or second annual. It's going to be

[24:25] pretty big deal. We did one last fall um

[24:29] for is everyone familiar? I'm not sure

[24:31] if everyone's familiar with what a

[24:32] unified basketball team is. We have

[24:35] students who are um are sort of our

[24:38] learning disabled population with some

[24:41] regular ed students as well and they are

[24:43] com a combined basketball team and then

[24:45] we invite a team from another school

[24:47] who's a similar kind of team. Uh and

[24:50] they come together and they play

[24:51] basketball and it's really it's actually

[24:53] and I'm not a sports fan one of the more

[24:55] fun sports events I have ever attended

[24:57] I'll say. Um, and [clears throat] then I

[25:00] know that this is sort of a a goal also

[25:02] of um of Superintendent Bower to try to

[25:05] there's we're going to try to aim to set

[25:08] the Massachusetts record of 10,000 or

[25:11] sorry 10,000 1,50 attendees, which is

[25:14] going to be quite a lot

[25:16] [laughter] to to just keep uh order, but

[25:19] it was a lot of fun last year. Again,

[25:21] it's four o'clock um on October 6th in

[25:24] the fieldhouse at at the high school.

[25:27] >> Thank you. Well, this certainly seems to

[25:29] me like a an event that Danvers can show

[25:31] up in full force wearing our colors, you

[25:34] know. Let's let's let's bring it to the the records, the Guinness record for

[25:38] Danvers. I guess that's our our

[25:40] objective.

[25:42] >> Um, so

[25:43] >> I'll say that I saw that they're also

[25:45] selling shirts like the Damra CPAC is

[25:48] selling shirts for the event as well.

[25:50] So, you can find those on Facebook or at

[25:53] the CPAC which is pretty cool.

[25:55] >> Very cool. Would they be selling them at

[25:57] the event?

[25:58] >> I'm sorry, what?

[25:59] >> Would they be selling them at the event?

[26:00] >> I'm not sure to be honest. Um I think

[26:03] Julie would have that information, but

[26:05] um I know last year they had like a

[26:07] small number and the community responded

[26:09] to them saying we want more. Um so I I'm

[26:13] going to imagine that they do maybe, but

[26:15] I don't want to speak for them.

[26:17] >> Right. We can get the entire ship to

[26:18] come so we'll update the numbers of

[26:20] them.

[26:20] >> Yes.

[26:22] So we need a,50.

[26:27] » It was pretty packed last year, I say.

[26:30] Um, it was pretty exciting. So,

[26:32] >> okay. Well, we'll do our best to be

[26:33] there,

[26:34] >> right? All of us community at home.

[26:36] >> Don't forget October 6, the fieldhouse.

[26:40] We need,50 folks. We'll see you guys

[26:42] there.

[26:44] >> That's wonderful. I'd like to now turn

[26:46] it over to item number eight on our

[26:48] agenda, which is National National

[26:50] Hispanic Month. activities and Louisa is

[26:52] going to share some insights with us to

[26:55] that matter.

[26:56] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, how you doing

[26:59] everybody and folks at home? Uh,

[27:02] National Hispanic Heritage Month. So,

[27:05] each year from September 15 to October

[27:07] 15, United States observes National

[27:09] Hispanic Heritage Month. And what

[27:12] started as a week-long observation under

[27:14] President Linda B. Johnson back in 1968

[27:17] expanded into a month-long celebration.

[27:20] uh when none other than President Ronald

[27:22] Reagan signed it into law on August 17, 1988. Now, President Reagan

[27:28] knew that the contributions and

[27:29] experiences of Latinos United States are

[27:32] an essential part of our nation's

[27:34] history and culture. Now, during

[27:37] Hispanic Heritage Month, Americans join

[27:39] in to celebrate the history, diverse

[27:41] cultures, achievements, and

[27:43] contributions of Latinos whose ancestors

[27:45] came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean,

[27:49] Central, and South America. Uh, this

[27:51] presents an opportunity for many in the

[27:53] US to learn about or to be reminded of

[27:56] the contributions of Hispanic people,

[27:59] the nation's largest racial or ethnic

[28:01] minority. So, fun fact, Mr.

[28:03] According to the US census, the Hispanic

[28:06] population in the US reached 7 70.1

[28:10] million in 2026, accounting for 21% of

[28:13] the total US population and making us

[28:17] the nation's largest racial or ethnic

[28:19] minority. Now this year's theme unidos

[28:22] mass translated to together we are more

[28:25] pays tribute to the community strength

[28:27] shared values and the collective impact

[28:30] of of generations of Hispanic Americans

[28:33] who have positively influenced and

[28:35] enrich our history and nation and

[28:37] society while recognizing the only the

[28:40] unity of Hispanic and Latino communities

[28:42] in United States. Unitos mass honors the

[28:45] unique voices and experiences of

[28:47] individuals shaping the future while

[28:49] recognizing historical achievements of

[28:51] the past. Our festivities across the

[28:54] nation spotlight the interconnected

[28:55] struggles of Latin, Caribbean, and South

[28:58] American countries and show the history

[29:00] of fighting for the rights of indigenous

[29:02] people while gaining independence from

[29:04] the Spanish crown. Now, September 15 was

[29:07] chosen as the beginning of National

[29:09] Heritage Hispanic Month for historic

[29:11] significance. On September 15 of 1810 at

[29:15] 1157, Padre Miguel Dalgo told the bells

[29:18] of his church in the town of the

[29:19] Loresalgo in Mexico and rally the

[29:22] country to take up arms in their fight

[29:24] for freedom against Spanish rule. On

[29:26] September 15 of 1821, Costa Rica, El

[29:30] Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and

[29:32] Nicaragua signed the act of independence

[29:35] of Central America, effectively

[29:37] proclaiming their independence from the

[29:38] Spanish Empire.

[29:40] Folks, the parallels between the

[29:42] struggle for independence in United

[29:44] States is profound. Just as the founding

[29:46] fathers had enough of the tyranny of

[29:49] King George and rebelled, heroes such

[29:52] Jose Marti and Simon Bolivar led their

[29:54] people to vanquish European colonizers

[29:57] and break the break free from the yoke

[29:58] of subjugation.

[30:00] I stands today United States of America

[30:03] and we the people are proud to celebrate

[30:06] National Hispanic Heritage Month by

[30:08] embracing the diversity in our diverse

[30:10] community and recognizing the

[30:13] contribution of Hispanic Americans to

[30:14] the growth of the American dream in this

[30:17] country that we all call home. Thank

[30:19] you, Mr. Chair.

[30:20] >> Thank you very much. Very excellent

[30:22] presentation. Comments, observations,

[30:24] thoughts?

[30:26] We're looking forward to this. It's

[30:28] going to be a great month.

[30:30] Uh, I'd like to now turn it over to Paul

[30:32] Pollock, the co-chair, who will give us

[30:34] some feedback on our agenda, our

[30:37] scheduled meeting for the year. Uh, yes.

[30:40] I just, uh, if you'll notice in item

[30:42] nine, uh, on the, uh, agenda. Uh, I have

[30:46] set up meeting dates

[30:49] through February. All right? And the

[30:51] reason we don't go go beyond February is

[30:53] because at some point we are bumped from

[30:57] this room uh because of uh FinCom and the budget work that is done in the

[31:03] springtime. So, we're scheduled right

[31:05] now through the um uh February uh month

[31:10] of February and um this meeting of

[31:14] course is uh 9:17 if you look and the TR

[31:18] stands for TUMI room

[31:20] in case you're wondering. Okay. Then on

[31:22] 10:15 because of the election and this

[31:25] room is being used for early election.

[31:28] All right. We will have our meeting at

[31:30] the senior center

[31:32] followed by um [snorts] November 19th

[31:36] we'll be at the TUMI room. December 17th

[31:39] at the TUMI room. January 27th we're

[31:43] going to meet at the uh Dammers Police

[31:45] Department. That'll be after our MLK

[31:48] event so that we can down uh you know

[31:52] speak about it, brief brief ourselves on

[31:54] the meeting, etc. But other things can

[31:56] come up also. Um and then the

[32:00] uh February 18th will be our our uh

[32:04] meeting here in the TUMI room and then

[32:07] we'll work around what town hall needs

[32:10] and move our meetings acc accordingly.

[32:12] It may be that you we may want to move a

[32:16] meeting from a Thursday to a Wednesday

[32:18] depending upon how we feel depending

[32:20] upon what the commitments are. Um, I

[32:23] know myself being on finance committee,

[32:25] I do have I think there's a couple of

[32:27] conflicts in there, but I know you can

[32:29] do without me. Don't don't worry about

[32:31] it. That's it.

[32:34] >> Uh, you were going to say a few words

[32:36] about the meeting attendance

[32:37] requirements.

[32:37] >> Oh, yes. That's next.

[32:39] >> Yes. I believe I looked at the minutes

[32:41] again and last

[32:43] the last meeting which was I think was a

[32:45] June meeting we decided that we wanted

[32:48] to

[32:50] uh

[32:51] require

[32:53] all members to at least attend six

[32:56] meetings. That's six out of 10

[32:59] >> regular scheduled meetings as we know

[33:01] them once a month. Um we don't think

[33:04] that that's uh a burden on anyone. We

[33:06] hope not. But uh and we're not we're not

[33:09] in a position and I certainly don't want

[33:11] to be in a position to ask people to

[33:14] leave but when we ask people to come on

[33:16] the committee we're certainly asking for

[33:18] their time and their effort and uh so we

[33:21] ask them to attend at least six meetings

[33:24] it I believe it doesn't have to be in

[33:26] person it can be zoom if we have to

[33:28] right correct and also to take if

[33:32] necessary the chairman uh the chair of

[33:35] one of the subcommittees you may be

[33:37] working on for instance I know Paul

[33:39] right now you're you're sub you're the

[33:41] subcommittee chair for uh um celebration

[33:44] on okay so those are what we that's what

[33:47] we agreed to do and we voted on it and I

[33:50] think it was unanimous vote so we're sort of taking attendance uh but

[33:55] it's uh you know we're not we're not

[33:57] going to try to be overbearing in any

[33:58] way other than we want participation

[34:01] >> correct

[34:03] >> uh just a question I'm wondering um Paul

[34:06] if you've discussed having sort of

[34:09] establishing a process so that if

[34:10] somebody needs to attend by Zoom um

[34:13] there would be a process by which um

[34:16] they would they would need to let one of

[34:20] you that are serving in in the executive

[34:22] team

[34:24] >> let them know so that you could then let

[34:27] >> those that need to know know um so that

[34:30] it's not a scramble the day of because

[34:32] that has happened in the past

[34:34] >> you know I'm going to rely I'll I will I

[34:36] will look look look at that and try to

[34:39] get back to town I'll get back to town

[34:41] hall but I'm just wondering um how's it

[34:44] been done in the past I've never been

[34:46] involved with how um what the procedure

[34:49] is does is town hall set it up or or um

[34:53] >> um

[34:53] >> is it is it is it a cost for the member

[34:56] to set it up?

[34:57] >> No, there's not a cost. So, uh, town

[35:00] hall by and large, uh, seems to use

[35:02] teams

[35:04] >> and so far that has needed to be set up

[35:08] by somebody within town hall.

[35:11] >> And that was very easily done when there

[35:15] was a staff person in town hall who was

[35:18] uh, committed to working with this

[35:19] committee. And so since somebody has not

[35:22] been in that position, it's just been a

[35:24] little it's been a little tricky. And so

[35:26] sometimes we've had to find alternative

[35:29] ways. I mean, we've had some meetings,

[35:30] as you know, because you've all been

[35:32] there that we've met completely online.

[35:34] And so we've we've had to um we've had

[35:37] to spontaneously respond respond when

[35:41] the tech wasn't quite working. And I

[35:43] think I'll just leave it at that. So

[35:44] this is an area for improvement and and

[35:48] um getting it clear from the beginning

[35:50] and communicating what the plan is.

[35:52] >> Mhm. I'll just mention that um what it

[35:55] is is that on Thursday's town hall

[35:57] closes at 7. So essentially the

[35:59] individual who's the late person in the

[36:02] HR team is the person that's getting

[36:04] this teams up and running.

[36:08] Um teams tends to be challenging. So if

[36:12] it's not up and running 15 minutes into

[36:16] um us starting it, that staff member may

[36:19] no longer be working. So that's where it

[36:21] gets a little tricky. But for the most

[36:23] part, um I think we had success with at

[36:25] least when Lieutenant Sullivan opened

[36:28] it, I think they gave him all the codes

[36:30] and he was able to run it. Um so, you

[36:33] know, maybe getting the information for

[36:36] us to manage it might be the easiest

[36:38] solution. However, I do we had success

[36:41] with um you know, when Paula had to log

[36:43] in and um even Jorge had to log in from

[36:47] afar. I think it's been, you know, it's

[36:49] been a nice way to help those who want

[36:52] to be present, um, if they have, you

[36:55] know, a location situation going on.

[36:57] Yeah.

[36:59] >> All right. Now, I

[37:05] » No, I don't have anything.

[37:07] >> Can I ask you to help me?

[37:08] >> Oh. Oh, sure. Yeah, absolutely. I need

[37:10] all the help I can get when it comes to

[37:13] that aspect of technology as you mo all

[37:15] know because you're always trying to get

[37:16] me on soon. So, I'd be more than h happy

[37:21] to lead it, but I'm going to need some

[37:22] real good help. All right.

[37:27] » Thank you very much, U Paul. That was a

[37:29] good report. I'd like to now turn to

[37:31] item 10 on our agenda. No, excuse me,

[37:34] item 11, which is the celebration

[37:36] update. Move to hear from Paula. Yes.

[37:40] >> Thank you. Um, so we are very excited.

[37:43] Celebration is happening this year, so

[37:46] mark your calendars. Um, on October 14th

[37:49] at 5:30 p.m. in the library. Um, so

[37:52] historically, celebration has been kind

[37:54] of a fun community event on the weekend.

[37:57] Um, enjoy is a very integral, you know,

[37:59] keystone aspect of lat many Latin Latinx

[38:03] cultures. And so we wanted to continue

[38:04] to honor that in a way that felt very

[38:06] intentional and supportive of the

[38:08] community. Um so in order to do this

[38:10] we've opted for an evening event at the

[38:12] library um in lie of the day event um on

[38:15] the weekend. Um and there's going to be

[38:17] delicious food, good vibes, some really

[38:19] cool organizations. Um we're also going

[38:22] to be screening a movie that highlights

[38:23] many aspects of the Latinx experience.

[38:26] Um and we're going to be setting up a

[38:28] very cool Day of the Dead of Um which is

[38:31] going to be on display for community

[38:33] interaction in the library starting at

[38:35] the beginning of October.

[38:37] um and then subsequently moved to the

[38:39] event to the event space um for

[38:41] continued interaction during the event.

[38:44] >> Um so the loss muertos and ofas are you

[38:47] know a community-based tradition where

[38:50] people honor and remember their loved

[38:52] ones collectively um and support each

[38:54] other through you know honoring their

[38:56] loved ones. And so it's a tra tradition

[38:57] that's very reflective of the

[38:59] communityentric and joyful spirit found

[39:00] across Latinx cultures. Um, so it's

[39:03] really exciting that we can share that

[39:04] cultural experience with the community

[39:06] here in Danvers. Um, so it's going to be

[39:09] a great time. Please mark your

[39:10] calendars. Um, join us and we'd love to

[39:12] obviously have anyone and everyone. Um,

[39:14] all are welcome. Um, I have also printed

[39:17] out quite a few flyers. Um, so, you

[39:20] know, happy to hand them out. Also, if

[39:22] anybody has any local orgs that, um, you

[39:25] know, cafes or things like that where

[39:26] this can be posted up so that the word

[39:28] can um, be spread about this event, that

[39:30] would be great. Um, and yeah, we're

[39:33] really excited. So, please come.

[39:36] >> Excellent. That's It sounds like that's

[39:37] going to be a fun event.

[39:39] >> Yeah, I think we're excited.

[39:40] >> Excellent. Um, so let's turn back to uh

[39:44] Luis, who will be commenting on night

[39:46] item number 12 on our agenda, which is

[39:49] National Suicide Month.

[39:52] >> Thank you once again, Mr. Chair. And

[39:54] before I continue, I just want to um I

[39:57] just want to

[39:59] if anybody at home is watching, um we're

[40:02] going to talk about suicide attempts.

[40:04] And for anybody who that's triggering,

[40:06] just be aware and warn um because

[40:09] September in our in the United States,

[40:12] it is um

[40:15] suicide prevention month and it's a

[40:17] heavy um it's a heavy subject. Of

[40:20] course, um many of us have have had that

[40:24] experience that we lost someone. Um

[40:28] and basically tonight we would like to

[40:30] recognize the suicide prevention month

[40:32] of 2026. Now these months remind us that

[40:35] mental health is a community

[40:36] responsibility

[40:39] and that each of us can play a role in

[40:41] supporting someone who might be

[40:42] struggling across the country. Nearly

[40:45] 45,000 people died by suicide last year

[40:48] and many more faced overwhelming

[40:50] emotional distress here in Exus County.

[40:53] Rates of depression and anxiety continue

[40:55] to rise and access to care can be

[40:57] challenging. That's why knowing where to

[41:00] turn and how to help is so important. I

[41:03] would like to share a few resources for

[41:05] the folks here and those at home um that

[41:08] they know that we are not alone. For

[41:10] example, and at a national level, the

[41:12] 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is

[41:15] available 247. Anyone can call, text or

[41:18] chat. Um 988

[41:23] train has trained counselors who provide

[41:25] immediate emotional support during

[41:26] mental health or substance related

[41:28] crisises. In Denver, we have some local

[41:31] support and we have some strong partners

[41:33] right here in our community as well.

[41:35] Elliot Community Human Services provides

[41:38] mobile crisis intervention and urgent

[41:40] evaluations throughout Exis County. Ley

[41:43] behavioral health services offers

[41:45] outpatient therapy and psychiatric care.

[41:49] Danverse cares supports youth families

[41:52] and school in schools with prevention

[41:54] and mental health education.

[41:56] Mental health first aid in our area.

[41:59] Now, community members can also learn

[42:00] how to recognize signs of mental health

[42:03] or substance use challenges through

[42:04] mental health first aid training. In

[42:08] addition to programs offered by Elliot,

[42:09] Ley, and Danver, the Northeast Ark in

[42:12] partnership with United Healthcare and

[42:14] the Ark of the United States is offering

[42:16] monthly

[42:18] mental health first aid training

[42:20] throughout the fall right here in

[42:21] Danvers. Now these sessions are open to

[42:23] the public and anyone interested should

[42:26] visit North Northeast AR book website

[42:28] for registration and details. Um there's

[42:31] some dates I want to share for the fall.

[42:33] Um October 10 October 14 November 14 and

[42:38] December 12 once again October 10

[42:41] November 14 and December 12. These are

[42:44] training. These are trainings teach

[42:46] everyday people how to identify warning

[42:49] signs of initial support and connect

[42:52] someone to professional help that are

[42:54] practical, accessible and incredibly

[42:55] valuable for anyone who wants to be

[42:58] prepared to help a friend, a coworker or

[43:00] a family member. [snorts]

[43:02] Um 988 versus 911. The two of those

[43:06] numbers uh is very important for us to

[43:09] understand the differences.

[43:11] 911

[43:12] is for mental health emergencies when

[43:14] someone is overwhelmed, in emotional

[43:16] distress, or thinking about suicide. It

[43:19] connects directly to crisis counselors.

[43:21] 911 is for immediate physical danger

[43:25] when someone has already been harmed or

[43:27] harm themselves, is unable to stay safe

[43:30] or needs urgent medical or police

[43:32] intervention intervention. Both numbers

[43:35] save lives, but they serve different

[43:37] roles. And I do want to make note that

[43:39] our incredible Danbridge Police

[43:41] Department does often play a role when

[43:43] someone is experiencing a mental health

[43:45] emergency in our town. Our officers are

[43:47] skilled at the escalation and are able

[43:50] to connect folks with resources to

[43:52] support individuals and mental mental

[43:54] health crisises and emergencies as well.

[43:57] Um as we observe suicide prevention

[43:59] month, let's commit to being a community

[44:03] where people feel supported and safe. uh

[44:06] these resources check in on one another

[44:10] and help make sure no one in Denver

[44:12] faces crisises alone. Thank you, Mr.

[44:15] Sher.

[44:16] >> Thank you very much. It's a very

[44:18] sensitive and complex issue and I think

[44:20] that all of us need to be aware as we've

[44:23] heard tonight that there are uh tensions

[44:25] that sometimes go unnoticed that but

[44:28] that are critical to our community and

[44:30] Damas is not immune in any way from

[44:32] these um external forces. So, let's all

[44:35] be aware and cognizant of uh what we can

[44:38] do to be be helpful. Um, I'd like to now

[44:43] just quickly turn to item 13, which is

[44:45] the uh update on the mini grant program.

[44:48] As everyone knows, last last season we

[44:51] awarded, I believe, eight mini grants to

[44:54] various groups and organizations across

[44:55] Stanvers that are uh doing efforts to um

[45:04] oh, excuse me. Um

[45:07] uh so to lead initiatives or activities

[45:09] in Danvers to spread inclusivity and

[45:11] cultural awareness to support the

[45:13] mission of ampl amplifying marginalized

[45:16] voices or celebrate the identity of

[45:19] citizens in the community. A secondary

[45:21] goal is to merrist the committee's

[45:23] mission in the community through

[45:24] opportunities on the ground impact. We

[45:27] request that the grant recipients

[45:28] publicly acknowledge the mission of the

[45:30] HRC and the grant materials. Um and

[45:32] we're we are just uh today we've sent

[45:35] out um

[45:41] documents to ask grant recipients to

[45:44] give feedback on their grant activities,

[45:46] what happened uh what kinds of results

[45:48] that they had, what they have to report

[45:50] about uh what transpired, how much

[45:52] impact it had on the community. And um

[45:56] [snorts] another factor that we included

[45:58] in that

[46:00] report that we sent to grant recipients

[46:02] was whether or not they would be uh

[46:04] would be willing to come to our MLK

[46:06] event in January to report to their

[46:09] broader public on how the grants were uh

[46:12] executed. Maybe that's not the best

[46:14] word. How the grants were implemented

[46:16] and um and some of the impact that they

[46:18] had. We think that would be a wonderful

[46:20] thing to share with the broader

[46:21] community. So that is in process right

[46:23] now. We will keep everyone updated and

[46:26] posted on that as it progresses and

[46:28] that's the extent to which um we're

[46:30] going to report on the mini grant

[46:32] activity. Are there any questions or

[46:34] observations about that?

[46:37] There being none, thank you very much.

[46:39] Um so if there's any new business that

[46:42] any members of the

[46:46] liaison group or our board members like

[46:48] to raise, this is an appropriate time to

[46:50] do so.

[46:52] >> I have something. Go ahead.

[46:54] >> Um, for those of us who are fans of

[46:57] fresh fruits and vegetables, which we've

[46:59] been talking a lot about this week, I um

[47:02] realized as I was scrolling on the

[47:04] Danver pages that we have our last

[47:06] farmers market this Saturday. So, for

[47:09] anybody who's interested and doesn't

[47:10] want to go to another town, um we have a

[47:14] farmers market pop up this Saturday at I

[47:19] want to say this is Danver's Art

[47:21] Association from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

[47:24] Um it's at 105 Elliot Street. Yeah. So,

[47:28] um they say there's going to be produce,

[47:31] flowers, baked goods, food and drinks,

[47:33] and handmade goods. So for anybody who's

[47:37] interested,

[47:38] come on down. I think I'll be

[47:40] >> there Saturday 1 to 5.

[47:42] >> This Saturday, um 300 PM to 700 p.m. So

[47:45] it's actually pretty, you know, you can

[47:47] get your stuff done in the morning and

[47:49] still make it. Yeah.

[47:50] >> Okay.

[47:55] » I understand there's a farmers market on

[47:58] the committee.

[48:00] [laughter]

[48:01] Um, actually

[48:03] >> someone I got someone was trying to give

[48:06] away cucumbers.

[48:07] >> Oh, a tomato.

[48:09] >> There's a trade going on.

[48:10] >> There's a trade.

[48:11] >> There were eggs.

[48:12] >> My tomatoes for Johan's cucumbers.

[48:14] [laughter]

[48:15] >> Okay.

[48:15] >> And my eggs.

[48:17] >> My hands.

[48:20] [snorts]

[48:20] >> I just would like to meet private after

[48:23] the meeting with

[48:26] Luis and Pa.

[48:28] >> Okay. About celebration. Yeah. Okay.

[48:31] thank you.

[48:32] >> So,

[48:33] >> sorry, I just wanted to mention one more

[48:34] thing before I forget. Um, there was an email exchange. Just wanted to make

[48:39] sure everyone saw the school committee

[48:41] le the new chair of the school committee

[48:43] um would like to know if it's feasible

[48:46] for a liaison to attend um via teams.

[48:50] Um, so I guess this is a continuation of

[48:52] our team's conversation, but um, I did

[48:56] draft a response, so if you guys want to

[48:58] talk about it later, but um, they're

[49:00] trying to they would like to be more

[49:02] involved this year and just trying to

[49:04] bridge the gap between work schedules

[49:06] and other committees that everybody's

[49:08] on. Um, trying to see if that could

[49:10] work.

[49:10] >> Y

[49:11] >> we try to accommodate, I think, as best

[49:13] they can.

[49:14] >> Yeah. Uh, I'm the liaison for the school

[49:17] board, but I'm not going to ask to do

[49:18] that through Zoom. I'd rather go. Could

[49:21] one minute? Our friend Alance from Salem

[49:24] is here. When did you sneak in?

[49:26] >> About [clears throat] five minutes ago.

[49:28] >> Okay. [laughter]

[49:29] Thank you for coming, Alons.

[49:31] Um, so uh I want to thank everybody on

[49:34] the board and our liaison and visitors

[49:36] as well for uh joining us tonight and

[49:39] for participating in this discussion

[49:40] which is always very important.

[49:42] Obviously, we thank our listening

[49:44] audience who are listening into what

[49:46] we're uh conversing and discussing at

[49:48] the board meetings and it's always open

[49:51] opportunity to provide feedback if you

[49:54] have something that you'd like to

[49:55] comment or if you need additional

[49:56] information. Um I also wanted to say

[49:59] that uh uh D

[50:02] our our board chair um town board chair

[50:06] is out of state which is why he's and

[50:08] liaison to this board uh was out of

[50:10] state today which is why he was not in

[50:12] attendance. So he uh sent a note to let

[50:14] me let you know as to why he wasn't

[50:17] here. Uh so with that I'd like to ask

[50:19] for a vote to adjourn.

[50:22] >> Move to adjourn.

[50:24] >> All in favor? I

[50:26] >> I

[50:26] >> thank you very much.

Danvers Human Rights and Inclusion Committee Meeting - 9/17/26

Transcript